Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-06-26
i exclaimed. Here, take IL back.

1
il.
Chow are you going, my boy !?
Shall drive you back to Belminster ?
al don't want to go back TO Bel
minister Pikey answered pettishly. Il
can start from here just as well.
"'But where are you going?'
Ono answer.
"sYou will be days on the road.
Now. listen 10 me like good boy.
"Sandbar put his hand on the lads
shoulder 1t WAS twisted away impa-
tently. -.
":Wbat business is it of yours =?
pikev demanded with vicious little
snap. like a squirrel at bay. He looked
wonderfully handsome, to be sure.
| His great eyes sbone half fierce, half
frightened; his cheeks glowed through
their tan and all his small, white
teeth cleaned wickedly, ready to bite.
"'Ihis is Lord Sandber,' ! inter
posed "a good friend to oil poor boys
like yourself. He wants to be kind to
you II you will Jet him..
"'Oh. he does, does hep said Pikev.
The aueerest look passed over his
face. Lord Sandbar = he murmured
thoughtfully. He had got clear of the
restraining hand, and walked away
from us ell to the window, where he
stood in silence.
"'Can he have heard of me 2 asked
the Earl, with demure complacency.
1T would be deeply, deeply crafty
ing
"Pikey's shoulders were shaking as
il with some suppressed emotion. Tere-
sta stole up to him and laid her arm
across them sympathizingiy. He looked
up, and if the young villain wasn't ex-
ploding with laughter over some phi
vate Joke; but Sandbar noticed nothing
Let me talk to him. he said, and L
called Teresita away and left them to-
gether.
"When we returned in few min
utes the Earl was holding the boys
arm with an air of possession.
al am going to take Jake to his
mother he announced. He will
travel with me to London tonight
But you are b0rO Gorgto and L
am a poor ROmdni chdL-.' Pikey
began to protest, but Sandbar silenced
him and bade him say goodbye to us
all.
"Some unaccountable curiosity made
me take the short cut TO the station TO
see them off.
"They had established themselves in
a first-class carriage. Pikey, his rags
concealed under q sealskin-trimmed
coat, which / recognized, was nesting
down under the great bearskin travel
ling-rug, his eyes aGght and his cheeks
poppy red with excitement. Lord
Sandbar sat opposite, gazing-not to
say gaping-down on his prot{g6. He
looked bewildered, strangely stirred by
some novel Notwithstanding, deli
cious, incomprehensible. He could
spare neither word nor look for me.
'Kushto Bak = cried Pikey,
waving his pretty brown hand.
1.-The imps been putting the
comeiher over bin, too, | said to my
self, and then the train moved off and
| lost sight Of my Pikey forever"
Moroni came to 4 full stop.
"Go on" l said impatiently.
(Which do you want to hear? How
I went on and made my fortune, or the
end of Lord Sandbar's adventure 2"
81 know the end of your story. |
think I'd rather go on with Lord Sand
bars. Did be go to the dickens -
"Ihat is a matter of opinion. |
never heard more of him till the fol-
lowing spring. Twas tryingto find my
way from one out-of-the-way suburb to
another beyond the range Of trans and
omnibuses, when l. came upon dis
NAL, forgotten region of old houses.
condemned to demolition, surrounded
by hoardings. Turning the corner,
face to face / met my Pikey.'
mot in the flesh, but full length on
a poster-the very imp, just as | had
taken him astride of the fence in my
Daisycliffe studio. There was no mis-
take. The poster was tinted to repre-
sent monster photograph, and was a
copy, l could swear, of my own. At
the top, to dispel all doubt, was the
name in huge capitals Pikey, and be-
low the name of a theatre, The Di-
versity and date half-peeled of, but
evidently that of the past year.
81 was so utterly perplexed that ]
left my errand unfulflled, and, return
ing to town, made at once for The
Diversity or would have done so if |
had not been informed that it had
ceased to exist. However, on inquiry,
l found that it revived under new
management as THE Battenberg,' so,
without knowingprecisely what Imeant
to do, / made my way forthwith to
the box office.
a very civil young gentleman
listened to my inquiries. with interest,
but could afford me no assistance.
"'Pikey? | seem to remember
something about that, too. 1t was be-
fore my time, though. All, there's a
gentleman who might be able to help
you. Mr.. Mountjoyl
Hullo Why, its MOroni = An
old comrade of mine whose name had
become known as a writer of success
ful melodrama came up and greeted
ne. Can l do anything for you?'
F'Want to know about "Pikey,"
Ell? Yes, it's & piece of mine. Why
was it never brought out ? Well, that's
a queer story. That was Nancy Bells
portrait you saw, of course. You might
have seen it all over the place last au
tumn. The little wretch put US all in
a hole, hut she has apologized very
prottily since, and | can't afford to
quarrel with Countess.
ga Countess Pikey Nancy
Bell? Put it little palmer, that's IL
good fellow. That gypsy urchin sat
to me at Daisyclifle last autumn-that
III swear. Now, how did he get on
that poster? That's all | want to find
out.
"'Daisycliffe Why, of course that's
where it all happened. Nancy sent me
the photograph from there-said she'd
been taken in character by the local
artist Never guessed that it was You,
though. She went there to be quiet
and work at her part cake" I'd
written it expressly for her, you know.
Lord Sandbar's place is close to Daisy
clife, 1 believe. There, you have it.
On the day of first rehearsal, instead
of Miss Nancy Bell came wedding
cards from the Earl and Countess OF
Sandbar.
81 felt the place go round with me
Mountioy talked on.
"His people were furious, of course.
mn A 4 4.